Step 1
by AstroPhantom
Summary: Bud Gleeful does a lot of morally ambiguous things for his son, but none of them even compare to what Gideon has planned next for him.


**Step 1**

* * *

Gideon had a wicked grin between his cheeks as he closed the final book and added it to the other ones piling up on the metal table in front of him.

With all the political-and otherwise-knowledge he now possessed, his plan was ready.

He pressed a button on his TV remote and stared at the camera leveled on the tripod across the table, waiting for the return feed to come through on the adjoining screen. Thankfully his prison "friends" were already preoccupied, but he still had to make this conversation as brief as possible.

Finally a color image replaced the static, and he saw his father standing attentively in a little room, hands tucked in his pockets. "Yes, son?"

Gideon wasted no time in jumping to his point. "Alright, my new plan is finally ready, and you're going to help in a big way."

"How so?"

"By becoming the mayor of Gravity Falls, and then pardoning me out of prison so I can exact my revenge on the Pines family and finally get what I want." A certain glimmer of evil ran across his eyes.

Bud looked perplexed at the details of this plan. "Well, gee, son. That sounds great and all, but we already have a mayor."

"Not for long. That old pile of dust put me in here," Gideon began, gesturing to the brick walls around him. "And now I'm going to put him in his own box. You're going to kill the mayor."

The older man's eyes stretched wide with shock and fear. "N-now listen here, boy, I want to help you get out of prison however I can, but there are certain things that are just too much to ask."

"No! You listen to me, daddy! I am sick and tired of this place, and I need you to get me out of here!" Gideon was leaning up against the table, face in the camera. "I know what you need to do, and I already have your mayoral campaign figured out. But the first thing I need you to do is kill the mayor!"

"I'm sorry, son, but I just can't do that," Bud reaffirmed, but the cower in his stance betrayed the bravado in his voice.

There was a sound of shuffling paper as Gideon began to pull an old worn page out of many in his hair. "Then perhaps I can _make_ you..."

The hint of the threat was enough to convince Bud. "Alright! Alright! I'll do it! Just please don't use that!"

"That's better," he smugly replied, pushing the paper back into hiding. "Besides, it'll be easy to make it look like an accident since he's already so old anyway. Now, here's how you're going to kill him..."

* * *

Mayor Befufftlefumpter's cabin was higher up in altitude than it had originally seemed, and Bud's lungs were not prepared for the trek from his hidden car to the reclusive man's home. At least there wasn't much of a moon on this night; that gave his wheezing more of a cover.

Once he caught his breath, Bud tip-toed to the back porch door. There were not any lights on inside, which was all the invitation he needed to test the door handle. It opened without a fight, thanks to the mayor's lack of need for a lock in his isolation. He was in.

The mayor's house space was smaller than expected for a man of his stature, but it seemed to fit his personal background-and wheelchair-perfectly. Bud had walked into a reading room, with a dining table and kitchen beyond that leading to the front door. On the other side of the house coming towards him, there were two doors, the first of which was partly open, and then one final door just to his left, which was wide open to show a sleeping Mayor Befufftlefumpter.

Bud had to swallow back all his emotions. The proximity of the bedroom seemed to shove the reality of the situation in his face. He had to do this quickly before common sense made him back out.

With a trembling quiver, he approached the side of the bed and weighed the situation. There were two options, as expected, to administer Gideon's toxic potion: the glass of water with the mayor's dentures, or, depending on his sleeping position, the mayor himself.

Mayor it was. The old man was lying on his back, his mouth hanging open with each heavy snore. It was unfortunately too perfect for what Bud was about to do.

He took a vial out of his pocket and made a repulsed face as he unscrewed the cap and its contents' smell hit his nose. He couldn't remember what was in the potion, since he'd been too nervous about the task at hand while Gideon told him how to make it and threw some spooky words over it through his screen to seal its poisonous effects. It was probably for the best he didn't remember anyway.

Trying not to breathe any more of the fumes in, Bud took out the water dropper he had brought along and carefully sucked up about an inch's worth of the vial, capping it off and returning it to his pocket when he was done. There was nothing left to do now.

All became still in Bud's head. Unable to turn back, the only thought running through his mind was a prayer for the mayor to not wake up as he moved the dropper over his rumbling mouth. Five thick drops flashed into the depths of Mayor Befufftlefumpter's throat. On impact, the elder man's eyes creaked halfway open, and then shot full-wide as he began to choke on his back.

Panic bells began ringing in Bud's brain. He looked around helplessly, taking stock of the fact that if the mayor recognized him now, and lived, he'd be a dead man himself. But even though the politician's glasses were on the bedside table, Bud couldn't take a chance. With no other choices, he used his left hand to smother the mayor's nose and mouth, waiting until there were no more signs of choking to ensure the job was finished.

Woefully, Bud whispered into the darkness, "Oh Mayor, I'm so sorry." But the regret rang hollow under the relief of the prospect of avoiding his son's wrath another day.

He took a few final minutes to make sure Mayor Befufftlefumpter looked exactly as he did upon arrival-closed eyes, mouth slightly ajar, hands relaxed on his blanket. It looked believable, like a natural passing. Whoever came to his house in the morning would assume he died in his sleep. And then the next step in Gideon's plan could begin.

But even though Bud had pulled the murder off so well and there was no one around for miles, he couldn't stop his feet from beginning to run like never before as he got closer to his car.

* * *

There was about an hour left before sunrise by the time Bud got home. He made a beeline for his secret room and switched on the television monitor. Despite the early hour, his son was still awake and already connected, waiting impatiently in his chair.

"Well father, is the task complete?" Gideon asked expectantly. He almost seemed like a bomb, ready to explode if the answer wasn't to his liking.

Bud looked at the hat his hands were wringing tensely and nodded. "It's done, son. It's done."

"Excellent. Now to get you ready to be the new mayor of Gravity Falls..."

* * *

 _This was a quick little thing I thought of based on what I theorized happened before_ _the events of "The Stanchurian Candidate."_

 _R.I.P. Mayor Befufftlefumpter_


End file.
